The Three Princes
Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Newlancurt, there lived a king named Omate. He had three sons: Odin, Oscar, and Oliver.
Odin was the eldest of them all and loved to paint. He spent all his time in the kingdom's forests, where he created magnificent paintings.
The second prince, Oscar, though talented, was very changeable. One day he wanted to be a painter, another day a doctor, and even a dancer.
The youngest of them all, Oliver, was spoiled and impolite. He would throw tantrums in front of all the servants, always unhappy with their work.
King Omate was very worried. All his sons were grown men, but they were by no means ready to take on responsibilities. One day, he decided to summon them before him.
— Yes, Father! Did you call us? — Yes. You see, my children, I have served this kingdom with everything I had, and now I would like to travel. But I want you to take on some responsibilities.
— Father, I'm sorry, but I haven't found my calling yet, you know. I'm still trying to figure out what it is, and I would really appreciate it if there wasn't any pressure on my shoulders. — But Oscar, sorry, Father!
— Odin, Oliver? — Father, I know you think I'm ready to take on responsibilities. Honestly, I think so too. But I'm not the eldest son. Shouldn't Odin take responsibility? — Yes, but you can try to help him, can't you?
— Hmm, no, thank you. I prefer to play with my friends than deal with boring administrative tasks. Saying this, Oliver left. Sadly, King Omate turned his face to Odin.
— Odin, my eldest son, help your father. — Father, I've told you so many times. I'm not interested in becoming king. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I want to go to Rome and become a painter. With a heavy heart, Odin turned his back and left. As soon as he walked out the door, Omate looked up furiously.
— Oh, I was sure it wouldn't work. My sons are not impressed by emotional things. I should have ordered them to listen to me. From behind a chandelier, a fairy named Kito emerged.
— Calm down, my King! — It's easy for you to say that. You're not the one trying to get three adults to rule an entire kingdom. — How about we beat them at their own game? — But what does that mean? — Ha ha ha! That sounds fun. — All right, Kito, I'll do it.
Oliver Learns a Lesson in Politeness and Responsibility
That same day, the King went to Oliver.
— Hello, Oliver! I see you're admiring your sword, eh? — Isn't it magnificent, Father? And shiny! — Ha ha ha! But what good is a clean sword that will never be used? — What? Of course it will be used! — By whom? By you? Ha ha ha! My son, you are only 19 years old. At your age, I was strong and brave. But you, don't worry, will you be ready at 60? — 60 years old? I expect to become king sooner than that, you know! — A king who doesn't even want to go through the necessary training to become king. Son, it's a long way until you become king. As I said, at 60, I think. Oliver was shocked when he saw what his father thought of him. He became furious.
— Hmm, ha ha ha! So, it worked? — It was a piece of cake. Simple! He's very angry. — It's not funny at all. I hope your plan bears fruit. — It will. We've dealt with one, two more to go.
Oscar Discovers His Talent and Purpose
The King went to his second son and found Oscar surrounded by flowerpots.
— Look, Father! I've found a new hobby: gardening! Fun, isn't it? — Well, son, I've come to tell you that I won't force you to take on royal responsibilities. — Seriously? Hooray! — I mean, it's clear you're not cut out to be king. A king always knows what he wants, you know. — What? I know too. Oh, I think. — Of course. I'm sure the subjects would adore a ruler who can't decide if he wants to be king or a jester. Enjoy your new hobby, son. Bye! — He doesn't think I'm sure enough? Fine, tomorrow I'll prove him wrong, you know!
Odin Understands His Father's Sacrifice
Finally, the King went to see his eldest son, Odin.
— Wow! Truly magnificent! — Well, thank you, Odin. I didn't know I still looked so good. — Sorry, Father, I was referring to the rose bush in the back. — Hmm, never mind, Odin. I came to ask if you'd like to paint something else, not just forests. — What? But what's wrong with my paintings? — Well, if they have so many, hmm, trees and bushes and forests. How about you try painting mountains, landscapes, something different, a little more challenging? — What a great idea! Tomorrow I'll set off to paint other places in the kingdom. Thanks for supporting me, Father. — Ha ha ha! What else could a father do? Ha ha ha! — Hmm, now it's your turn, Kito. I've done my part.
The Princes Mature and Take the Reins
The next day, Oliver disguised himself and left the palace.
— Ha! I'll show my father! However, he didn't realize Kito was following him. Soon, his path crossed with that of an old woman carrying a basket of apples. — This is my chance! Yahoo! — Oh dear! No, young man, could you help me? — Me? But you dropped it. — Oh, how impolite! Even the King would have helped me. This astonished the young prince, for no one had ever spoken to him like that. — I'm sorry. — At least you apologized. Oliver was so confused that he started picking up the apples for the old woman. — Very good. Now you've helped me. Thank you. She smiled kindly at the prince and left. Oliver continued to wander, deep in thought. — Those soldiers are having an interesting conversation. — Let's take the little prince there too! Yahoo! — Oh, my sword! — Sword? Oh, soldiers! Oliver went near them to listen to their conversation. — What do we do? Do you think they'll attack us? — I don't know, but we should wait. — Wait? When there's an enemy, we must attack! — Ha ha ha! What's with this boy? You can't just attack an enemy. — Yes. If that led to war, think of the people in the kingdom. Ha ha ha! Don't worry, boy, the King and his army handle these things. And his princes. Hearing this, Oliver felt ashamed. — I didn't know there was so much to learn. Does Father really handle so many responsibilities alone? It's extraordinary. — Ah! It's bearing fruit! Now we move on to the next one.
Oscar was wandering through another part of the kingdom.
— How exciting! Oh, a painter! — Hmm, I bet I could make a more beautiful painting. As he walked on, Kito suddenly saw a group of artists sitting on the ground, looking sad. She smiled. — Yes! — Achoo! Oscar heard the sound and went to them. — Artists? Why are you all sad? — Well, our King has invited important guests from neighboring kingdoms, but we feel our dance isn't good enough. We want to put on a beautiful show for the guests. — La! I dance quite well, you know. I could help you. So he danced and taught them well. In the end, all the artists were cheerful, ready for the show. — Thank you, young man! We really needed that. We hope you'll come and see us. Bye! Oscar felt very satisfied, having helped someone using his talents. — If I use my other talents to help others, maybe ruling the kingdom isn't such a bad idea after all. — Yes! Only one more!
Kito looked for Odin and found him by a river.
— Oh no, I should move it somewhere else. — Ah! This place looks amazing! And I've painted almost all of it. Now I just need to... — Now! — Oh no! My painting! It's covered in mud! Ah, I'll move somewhere else! So he picked up his watercolors and easel and moved on. — Ah, this place seems fine. The weather doesn't act up here. He started painting and was almost finished. A man carrying a bucket of water approached him. — Closer, closer! Now! — Oh, ho ho ho! All the water from the bucket spilled over the painting. Odin became furious. — How annoying! I just want to paint a superb landscape! — I'm sorry, young man. But if you want to paint a superb landscape, I'll tell you where to go. It's a place full of green meadows and beautiful lakes where swans swim. — Sounds amazing! Tell me, where is this place? The man showed Odin the place, and he hurried in that direction. — I'm here! Finally! But... but wait a minute! This is just dry land and it's full of bushes! That man tricked me! At that moment, a girl appeared on the road. — Hey, little girl! Can you show me where the place with beautiful lakes where swans swim is? — This is the place. I mean, it was. Before there was a famine, and the poor people had to leave the area. The King alone doesn't care about us. — You're wrong! The King cares very much, it's just that no one helps him. Odin suddenly realized what he had said. The girl wasn't interested, so she walked on. — How terrible! Such a superb place destroyed, even though poor Father tried so hard. — Finally, I've finished my work!
At the palace, the King sat alone, dreaming of his vacation.
— Oh, beautiful weather, lazy rivers, sweet coconut water. Oh, when will these children say they're ready? — Father! Father! We're ready! — Oh? What? — Well, good. — Father, I traveled through the kingdom and saw how well you rule it. I also saw that you need help. And that's why we thought... — We are ready to take on our responsibilities! The King was so moved that tears immediately came to his eyes. — Ah, my children, I knew you would understand!
Thus, the three princes united to rule the kingdom together. They managed quite well, for they were clever and smart. On the other hand, the King enjoyed the beach, lounging under the hot sun.
— Ah, it's the best thing, and the coconut water is really delicious. Isn't it, Kito? — Indeed, Your Highness! Truly, indeed!
The moral of the story: Responsibility and empathy are learned through experience and understanding the needs of others, not through imposition. A true leader is one who embraces their role with dedication and understands the sacrifices necessary for the common good.
